The Fiji Times

$69k-plus for former worker

The Fiji Court of Appeal has ordered Niranjans Autoport Ltd to pay $60,000 in damages, $3000 in vehicle allowances and $9000 in court costs to a worker dismissed in April 2017. Avinesh Kumar was the business development manager when he was terminated. Justice Farzana Jameel said Mr Kumar received undue publicity on social media after...

Chief says military burial for Ratu Epeli Ganilau

Former army commander Ratu Epeli Ganilau, who died last Tuesday, will be accorded a military funeral when he is laid to rest on Friday. Taveuni chief Ratu Jo Lewenilovo said Ratu Epeli’s casket would be carried by soldiers from the wharf at Naiyalayala when it arrives on Thursday to his chiefly home at Vuniduva in...

Biman: ‘Move on, let’s make this Parliament workable’

Forget about your former leaders who have abandoned you, move on, let’s make this Parliament workable and let’s work together for the country. Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance Professor Biman Prasad directed this statement to the Opposition during debate on the Review of the Office of the Prime Minister and Department of Immigration...

No Opposition Leader as yet – Speaker

Fiji does not have a Leader of the Opposition as yet. Speaker of Parliament Ratu Naiqama Lalabalavu yesterday confirmed he had received Opposition Leader Voreqe Bainimarama’s resignation on March 8, 2023. “I referred the matter to the Privileges Committee and sought clarification from the committee on whether there were any other further aspects or impact...

‘She’s most vulnerable’

Women in rural and informal communities are often the most vulnerable when it comes to access to safe and adequate water supply. There are a host of factors that women, especially, find difficult to contend with in the face of short supply of what can be sometimes a scarce resource. To allow women to have...

Water crucial to menstrual hygiene, NGO highlights

Water is a basic human need. For women, it is crucial in maintaining menstrual hygiene and empowering them to continue with their daily lives as normal, even as they undergo their periods. For Ana Fofole, the national WASH (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene) co-ordinator for Medical Services Pacific (MSP), this aspect is an important part of...

Brown poses difficult but real climate-related questions; solutions required

Pacific islanders’ stewardship, vision, development aspirations and climate change-related sea level rise threatens the future of people and the statehood of many Pacific nations. Pacific Islands Forum chairperson and Cook Islands Prime Minister Mark Brown made these comments in his opening address at the regional conference on Preserving Statehood and Protecting Persons: Legal Options and...

46pc in labour force – Tabuya: Women face many complex barriers

The upcoming Fiji Country Gender Assessment (FCGA) highlights that 46 per cent of Fijian women are in the labour force. For men, it’s, 83 per cent. This was highlighted by Minister for Women, Children and Poverty Alleviation Lynda Tabuya while delivering her opening address at the two-day Women Invigorating the Nation (WIN) Convention 2023 in...

Motor vehicle accident claims carpenter’s life; police investigation continue

A 24-year-old carpenter from Nadonumai in Lami is believed to be Fiji’s latest road fatality. Police allege the young man was hit by a taxi after 4am on Saturday along Princes Road in Suva. “The victim who resided at Nadonumai in Lami was allegedly heavily intoxicated and was sitting in the middle of the road...

‘Be bold, take risks’ – Tuinamuana: Women must free themselves from doubt

Be bold and put your hands up for leadership roles. This was the message to young women and girls from Meliki Tuinamuana, a partner at KPMG, while speaking at the Women Invigorating the Nation (WIN) Convention at the Grand Pacific Hotel on Saturday. “One thing that we see is not enough women on boards,” she...

Influenza B/Victoria strain in predominant circulation in Fiji – Health Ministry

The Fiji Centre of Disease Control (CDC) has confirmed that the influenza-like illness in predominant circulation in the country is that of the Influenza B/Victoria strain. The Ministry of Health and Medical Services say this may be the likely cause of the second surge of influenza-like illnesses being reported and observed locally. According to the...

Making most of an opportunity

When the COVID-19 pandemic hit the country in early 2020, many Fijians were uncertain what the future would hold. Some lost their jobs as their tourism or travel-related businesses were severely impacted. Others were placed on reduced hours and as the days dragged into months and then years. Sadly, they were told to stay at...

What’s happening today!

Bula vinaka everyone. Here is another edition of some basic information you may need to know for today. First, here is your weather forecast for today: Weather: Some showers over the Northern Division, Lau and Lomaiviti group Showers becoming frequent tonight Cloudy periods with brief showers over greater Suva/Nausori-Tailevu, interior Serua-Namosi, Naitasiri, interior Serua-Namosi, interior...

She’s her own boss

Former hotel waitress Amrita Nand enjoys being an entrepreneur and her own boss. The 35-year-old was working with the food and beverage department at the Capricorn International Hotel in Nadi. She was also an employee of New World and Maxval-U supermarkets before starting her own pot plant business in 2016. Ms Nand normally sold her...

Archive of treasures

Just as the minutes and hours of time go by, the ink used to pen thoughts on paper will gradually fade and disappear into obscurity. And when that happens, it leaves gaps in history, if not for the sacred few whose task is to document events of importance for future generations. That is one reason...

Back in history: From a village to town

An article in The Fiji Times on July 2, 1977, brought back the good old memories of Labasa Town in the early 1920s when it was still at the development stages. The town was a village at that time, with earth road having deep side drains. During the spring tide, you could fish in the...

Honey industry struggles

A boom in beekeeping in the Pacific has helped improve yield and quality for more than 30 per cent of the country’s pollination-dependent crops, but it comes at an inopportune time as Fiji grapples with a varroa mite invasion and adverse weather events. It has presented beekeepers in the Pacific nation with a dilemma. There...

Solar power for water

Solar Fiji has been growing steadily as a result of the reliability of its products for off-grid areas in the country. Company director Joe Baravi said they had recorded an increase in the demand for solar power. “Yes, there has been an increasing demand of solar power for off-grid and grid-tied commercial and residential clients....

Locals learn from celebrity chef

Local chefs at the Sheraton Fiji Golf and Beach Resort and the Fiji Marriot Resort Momi Bay got a chance to learn from Australian celebrity chef Matt Moran who, over two days, showcased his wide-ranging talents in fine dining. The restaurateur was a guest at the two Sheraton Resorts property where local and international guests...

Ratu Epenisa leads Bau delegation to present reguregu to late Ratu Epeli Ganilau

A delegation from the chiefly island of Bau led by Ratu Epenisa Cakobau, na Turaga na Vunivalu na Tui Kaba, presented their i-reguregu to the family of the late chief, Ratu Epeli Ganilau, at the Government training centre in Suva this afternoon. The delegation was received by Ratu Epeli’s eldest son, Ratu Penaia Kamisese Tuivanuavou...

Stand tall, PM tells new recruits

Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka witnessed the passing-out parade of about 40 new Fiji Corrections Service (FCS) personnel, including nine women, at the Naboro Corrections Facility last week. He said over the past 10 weeks, the graduates had learnt many aspects of training, including English proficiency, psychological assessment, institution orientation, medical testing and fitness. “Stand tall,...

Women share stories and journey

More than 200 participants gathered to participate in the Women Invigorating the Nation (WIN) convention 2023 in Suva last Friday. Guest speakers included Assistant Minister for Housing Lenora Qereqeretabua and Assistant Minister for Women, Children and Poverty Alleviation Sashi Kiran as well as various entrepreneurs. Women Entrepreneurs Business Council (WEBC) vice-chairman Sharyne Fong said the...

Workshop to enhance professionalism

Fijians and visitors to our shores deserve police officers who are professional, calm, and collected with their approach, says Acting Commissioner of Police Juki Fong Chew. Speaking at the closing ceremony of a two-day Fiji Police Annual Consultative Workshop in Suva, he told senior police managers that there were times when the Fiji Police Force...

Online violence – Technology-facilitated abuse

Fiji Women’s Crisis Centre co-ordinator Shamima Ali says some women have become suicidal as a result of continued technology-facilitated abuse. Ms Ali was one of the speakers at the two-day Women Invigorating the Nation (WIN) Convention held at the Grand Pacific Hotel over the weekend. “It’s good to see what’s out there because we learn...

Catch of the day

When Shaiyad Ali left his home at 2am on Saturday to go fishing, he didn’t imagine he’d haul in the biggest catch of his life. The 47-year-old panel beater from Navua, who usually fishes as a pastime, caught a kavu in Pacific Harbour. He said he had to use every technique he had learnt just...

First lady praises WIN convention participants

First Lady Filomena Katonivere has thanked the Women Entrepreneurs Business Council (WEBC) for the positive and influential impacts they made in the lives of women entrepreneurs in Fiji, in the formal and informal sectors. Speaking during the closing dinner of the two-day 2023 Women Invigorating the Nation (WIN) convention at the Grand Pacific Hotel on...

Shandil: Unacceptable – Consumer Council of Fiji excluded from WAF ideation session

“Straight up unacceptable.” This was the sentiment expressed by the Consumer Council of Fiji (CCoF) after being left out of deliberations carried out by Water Authority of Fiji (WAF) during the organisation’s Water Sector Strategy 2050 ideation session last week. In a statement, CCoF chief executive officer Seema Shandil said as the country’s largest consumer...

Infant survives 10-hour surgery

Ten-month-old Farida Hussein, according to her parents is a “miracle child”. At birth baby Farida was diagnosed with microcephaly — a birth defect where the baby’s head is smaller than expected in comparison with babies of the same age. She was also diagnosed with occipital encephalocele, a congenital malformation of the brain that has a...

Ram ‘very proud’

Miss Fiji and 2023 Teen Face of Beauty International (FOBI) first runner-up Gitali Ram hopes to bring the Miss Universe crown to Fiji in the future. The 18-year-old former Xavier College student competed against contestants from 27 countries in the teen FOBI pageant held in the Philippines recently. “I am very proud because Fiji has...

Local News

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